Louis poh



, (No Model.)

. .c ya M d e m g n .m H WP 0 H P 0 L a 2 6 3 8 3, 2 Y

Witnesses N PETERS, PNOTO-UTNOGRAPKBI, WASHINGTON D C I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS POH, or BUFFALO, NEWYORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 238,962, dated March 15, 1881.

Application filed December 29, 1880 (No model),

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS PoH, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements on a Oar-Oouplin g and I do hereby declare that the following description of my said invention, taken in connectionwith the accompanying sheet of drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which I will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has general reference to car-couplings for railway freight, &c., cars; and it consists, essentially, in the peculiar combination of parts and details of construction, as hereinafter first fully set forth and described, and then pointed out in the claims.

The object of my said invention isthe production of a device which will enable the coupling and uncoupling of cars without compelling the attendant to step between them, andthereby to avoid the dangers to life and limbs connected with the coupling of cars.

In the drawings already mentioned, which,

will serve to illustrate my saidinvention more fully, Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a car, showing my coupling device in position. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view of the locking device.

Like parts are designated by corresponding letters of reference in all the figures.

A represents the usual body of a'freight, coal, lumber, grain, stock, or other car, having the commonly employed bumpers B B and draw-head C, with the coupling-link D and pin E. These parts do not differ in any manner from those now found on railway-cars, one of the special advantages of my invention being its adaptability to said cars without changing any of its or their parts. This coupling-pin is now almost exclusively inserted into or removed from the draw-head by trackmen employed forthat special purpose, who step between the cars to perform their duty, and who, owing to the dangers connected with their occupation, are constantly in danger of being killed or maimed for life.

To avoid this danger, which, as already stated, is the object of my invention, I fasten to the sides of the bumper B a support, G, to which is pivoted a lever, F, having on its forward enda pin or pivot, H, passingthrough the eye 6 of the coupling-pin E, and having a split pin,f, to prevent the said coupling-pin from being removed from thelever F. On

the side of the bumper B, opposite to where the support G is attached, I provide a locking device for the lever F, consisting of a bar, I, having notches KK, and its upper end curved at i, said bar being secured to the bumper by bolts 9 passing through the plate a on said bar and through the bumper B. To this bar I fasten, preferably by rivets cl, or any other desirable means, a blade-spring, J, whose upper end is also curved at j, so as to produce between the curved partst' and j a space which will enable the lever F to be readily pushed in between the bar I and spring J. The position of the notches K K relative to the couplingpin is such that when the latter is so far withdrawn from the draw-head as to fully liberate the link D the said lever will be resting in the lower notch, while when the coupling-pin is within the draw-head said lever will be in the upper notch, K.

It will now be readily observed that, in order to uncouple cars, which is universally done after theyhave been pushed together to slacken the links, nothing remains to be done but to push the lever F out of the notch K and to depress the same until the spring J pushes it into the notch K-an operation which can be performed from either side of the cars in a few moments of time.

To couple the cars, the order of manipulation hereinbefore described with reference to the lever F is simply reversed.

I have heretofore described the bar I as being provided with two notches, K K. Although this construction is desirable, it is not an absolute necessity, since the upper notch, K, may be dispensed with and the lever Fheld in an elevated position by the weight of the pin, which in many cases may be found sufficient. I prefer the two notches for the sake of greater security afforded in looking said lever F inboth its positions.

As already described, in coupling and uncoupling cars they are pushed together, which causes the draw-head to move toward the body of the car. To allow the pin E to partake of this movement, its eye 0 should be made larger than the pin H on the lever F, so that this play on the pin H, together with a slight play in the fulcrum of said lever F, and its flexibility on the short arm, are sufficient to allow of the movement of said pin and drawhead.

In lumber-cars it is desirable that nothing appertaining to the draw-head should project over the platform of said car, so as to enable the loading of long timber. In this case it may be desirableto reverse the position of the support G and bar I, with its spring J, and the pin E-that is to say, to enter the coupling-pin from the under side of the draw-head, and to let the said support G and bar I hang down from the bumper B. In fact, if desired, my device may be placed on all cars in that position without interfering with its proper and efficient action.

Having thus fully described my invention, I

' claim as new and desire to secure to me by bar I, having the notchKand a bladespring, J, said support Gr beipg secured to one side of the bumper B, and the bar I with its bladespring J to the opposite side thereof, the whole being constructed for operation substantially in the manner as and for the object specified.

2. The device for lifting and dropping the coupling-pin E, consisting of the support G, secured to the bumper B, the lever F, pivoted to said support and provided with a pin, H, entering the enlarged eye 6 of said couplingpin, and the bar I, having the notch or notches K and a blade-spring, J, in front of said notches, said support G and bar I, with its blade-sprin g J, being secured to opposite sides of the bumper B, whereby the said lever is locked in position and the pin actuated in a manner substantially as and for the object stated.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention 1 have hereto set my hand in the presence of two subscribillgpvitllesses.

LOUIS POH.

Attest:

MICHAEL J. STARK, FRANK HIRSCH. 

